Botanic gardens' vast knowledge remains untapped due to fragmented data systems, say researchers
An international group of researchers says that biodiversity conservation and scientific research are not benefiting from the vast knowledge about the world's plants held by botanic gardens, because of fragmented data systems ...
In a new report published in Nature Plants, researchers based at more than 50 botanic gardens and living plant collections warn that a patchwork of incompatible, or even absent, data systems is undermining global science and conservation at a critical moment.
They call for a unified and equitable global data system for living collections to transform how the world's botanic gardens manage and share information. This would enable them to work together as a 'meta-collection' to strengthen scientific research and conservation efforts.
Climate change, invasive species, habitat loss and increased global movement of plant material all require rapid access to high-quality, trusted information about living plants. Achieving this depends on a shared culture of open, accurate, and affordable data—allowing living collections of all sizes, particularly in the Global South where much of the world's biodiversity is located, to participate on equal terms.
This plant is endemic to Ecuador, and endangered in the wild. Around 40% of the world's plant diversity is at elevated risk of extinction, and botanic gardens form a critical safety net against this by enabling species to be restored to the wild. Credit: University of Cambridge
This tree is endemic to Australia and is critically endangered. Thanks to the efforts of botanic gardens, there are now more of these trees in cultivation—like this one in Cambridge University Botanic Garden—than can be found in the wild. Credit: University of Cambridge
Curators across the world have built an extraordinary global network of living plant collections. But they warn that a patchwork of incompatible, or even absent, data systems about these collections is undermining global science and conservation at a critical moment. Credit: University of Cambridge